: The Delhi Police on Saturday said they had identified the five accused who had gangraped an American woman at a five-star hotel here in April.
The victim had come to India with her friends on a trip. They had booked the services of a Delhi based-travel agency, which had supplied them with a tourist guide.
Soon, the guide befriended the victim. One night, he entered her hotel room with four of his friends on the pretext of discussing their next day’s journey.
‘Victim thrashed’
They had drinks, after which the guide allegedly tried to force himself on her. When she protested, the men allegedly beat her up and took turns to rape her.
After she regained consciousness, they threatened her with dire consequences if she approached the police. Traumatised, she soon went back to the U.S. The incident came to light when a U.S.-based NGO e-mailed a complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner last week on her behalf.
Later, the woman also filed a complaint, following which the police registered an FIR under relevant provisions.
Police team formed
“The prime suspect is the guide. He is a resident of Delhi, but is currently not here,” said a senior police officer, adding that a team had been tasked to track him down. The other accused include an attendant of the hotel, a cousin and a friend of the guide, and the driver of a tourist bus which the victim and her friends had hired while in Delhi. The woman has approached a south Delhi-based law firm to pursue the case with the police.
In her complaint, she has expressed her willingness to travel to Delhi to record her statement, the police said. The woman also said it was possible that her drink had been spiked, because of which she fell unconscious.
“We will record her statement before a Magistrate if she agrees to come to Delhi. If she is unable to visit us, her statement can be recorded through video-conferencing,” the officer added.
